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Rottnest Island is just off the coast of Perth and everybody talks about it, so we said we’d better go and check it out.

I am not a fan of boats as I have always gotten all sorts of travel sickness but it was a lovely smooth journey from Barrack Street (near Perth CBD) to Rottnest stopping twice along the way to pick up other passengers. The swan river is really beautiful and we were lucky to go on a lovely sunny day.

Nice day for a boat ride.

Rottnest itself has a perimeter of about 27 kilometres there are no cars on the island so most visitors bring their own or hire bikes once there to cycle around. There is a bus tour too if cycling is not your thing.

Cycling is not my forte or at least it wasn’t during my J1 summer in Hyannis, Cape Cod, USA! I have no doubt that some of my companions on that trip still have nightmares about me swerving erratically all over the highway and going around the rotary (roundabout) the wrong way, I certainly do. However I was allot better on Rottnest, the lack of cars no doubt helped and the hills in some places were rather steep which kept my erratics to a minimum.

There are beaches all around the island and we found the ones on the north to be much more beautiful and plentiful than on the south, we didn’t make it around the whole island as on a day trip you really only have about 4 hours on the island (you spend more time on the boat) but in that time we fell in love with Rottnest. I will let the photos speak for themselves but we’ll undoubtedly be back and definitely stay 3/4 nights the next time – we spotted some gorgeous little chalets near Georgie Bay which is also near the general store that would be perfect!

And I should probably mention this thing, its a Quokka and I didn’t like it ONE BIT!

The original discoverers of Rottnest thought they were rats and hence named the island Rat-Nest or Rottnest, they’re not rats but apparently related to the Kangaroo. In my mind they were rat type creatures and I tore off on my bike the minute I spotted one … much to everyone’s amusement.

So all in all our first day trip was very successful and Rottnest is a must see if visiting Perth or Western Australia!

Its never easy to leave home, your comfort zone, much less when you thought your travelling days were done and had your sights set on a picket fence!

But every cloud has a silver lining and there is much to love about a hotter climate, gorgeous food, a more outdoorsy healthy lifestyle and being 6 weeks ahead in Home&Away 😉

Attached is a lovely short film/docu made in association with Toronto Irish Film Festival. It echoes many of the responses we would give .. I miss my friends and family and he misses his football. No one misses the rain or the negativity.

My good friend is the guy who misses Irish bread and has a refined Wexford accent!